Search form

Search form

The average viewer watched 17.4 hours of ad-supported cable TV each week from late May through early August, cable's biggest share ever, according to a Turner Networks study based on Nielsen data. The study also found that, with total TV viewing at 33 hours a week, ad-supported cable made up more than half of all TV watching this summer.

Related Summaries

Comcast as of Friday had tallied "double-digit percentage increases" in multiple platform views for its Xfinity Watchathon Week. The event, which ended Sunday, allowed Comcast customers to watch entire seasons of premium and ad-supported cable series on TV, mobile devices or via the Web. The most-popular series through Friday was Showtime's "Shameless," according to Comcast.

USA finished No. 1 among ad-supported cable TV networks for the week ended June 14 with an average of 3.35 million viewers in prime time, according to Nielsen data. TNT finished in second place, in large part because of "The Closer," whose season-five premiere June 8 attracted 7.14 million, the most-watched scripted show on ad-supported cable so far this year.

The driving force in TV growth is cable, says Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer of Turner Broadcasting. Viewing of ad-supported cable is 29% higher than five years ago, with adults 18-49 now watching 15 hours per week. Broadcast viewing has fallen 17% to 8.5 hours per person per week.

Ad-supported cable networks will finish the summer with a record-high 57.3 share of primetime viewing, according to Jack Wakshlag, head of Turner Research. By contrast, broadcast's share will fall to a 35.7, Wakshlag said.

Cable beat broadcast by most measures this summer, with ad-supported cable ranking 53.5% of households, versus broadcast's 38.2%. Media insiders say the comparison may be unfair, as broadcast networks take a programming hiatus during the summer.